Inaugural meeting of French transparency committee
19 June 2008
France's new national committee on nuclear information held its first meeting on 18 June. The committee's mandate is to act as a forum for the discussion of all issues related to public access to nuclear safety information.
The High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety (HCTISN) was established by the Nuclear Transparency and Safety Act of 13 June 2006, the so-called "TSN law", which gives French citizens wider access to nuclear safety information.
The act stated that the committee will be "a forum for information, consultation and debate on the risks of nuclear activities and the impact of these activities on health, the environment and nuclear safety." It adds that the committee "may issue an opinion on any matter in these areas... It may also take on any question relating to the accessibility of information on nuclear safety and propose any measures to guarantee or improve transparency in nuclear matters."
The committee is chaired by senator Henri Revol, a senator from Côte d'Or region and the first vice-president of the parliamentary office for evaluating scientific and technological choices. The HCTISN is composed of 33 other members, all appointed for a period of six years by a decree of 28 February 2008.
The independent body aims to bring together all stakeholders. It is composed of members of parliament, representatives of local information committees, associations, nuclear licensees, employee trade unions, the Nuclear Safety Authority (Autorité de sûreté nucléaire, ASN), other administrations concerned and the Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, IRSN), plus other experts.
In a statement, the committee said that the creation of the Nuclear Safety Authority in November 2006, the publication in March 2008 of a decree on the local information from nuclear facilities and the inauguration of the HCTISN are all "decisive steps" in the implementation of this right to information for citizens, as wanted by the government.
The TSN law considerably broadens the public's access to nuclear-related information. It creates a statutory right of access by the public to information held by the licensees of nuclear installations and those in charge of radioactive material transports. While complying with specific arrangements (public safety, industrial or commercial confidentiality, etc), they are now required to transmit to whoever so requests, the documents and information in their possession and related to their activities.
The nuclear field differs in this respect from other French industrial sectors, for which such an obligation of transparency is not legally binding on those responsible for the activity concerned.